Dry skin

[tortoisesarecute]

Is it normal for my Russian/horsefield tortoise to have some dry skin around the eyes?? He always has plenty of water in his dish! Should I be worried??

 

[stinax182]

no, you shouldn't be worried. it's normal for tortoises to have a bit of dry skin as long as it's not too much or looks like it may become a wound. try mixing some water into the substrate daily so your tort can dig down into it. you could also soak your tortoise in warm water in a tub he cannot get out of for 20 mins every other day.

 

[tortoisesarecute]

Please help

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Thankyou so much such a relief he has a little on his neck that seems to come and go is that the same do you think?

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He has woodchippings so I don't think that would be possible

 

[T33's Torts]

Maybe that is the problem. Wood chippings are very dry. They need a but of humidity, I use eco earth and dry, natural dirt from my yard. It hold a bit of moisture.

 

[tortoisesarecute]

Ok thanks for the advice the woodchippings were advised from
The pet shop do you suggest changing to soil??

 

[T33's Torts]

Pet stores aren't always correct.
Yes. Go to the "Specific Species" area and find the Russian area. At the top there are some important threads, check those out.

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Russian is under Mediterranean.

 

[stinax182]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html here's a great caresheet for Russian tortoises. i would definitely ditch the wood chips and get clean, regular dirt that will he'll your problem a lot